INTL Minor (Effective Fall 2025)

Immerse yourself in our highly flexible low unit Minor in International Studies!

Whether you're majoring in business, politics, sciences, or humanities, this minor offers a customizable journey to fit your interests. It's designed to seamlessly integrate with any program of study!  
  • Choose from specialized tracks such as General International Studies, Development Studies, Global Cultural Studies, and Global Environment. You can even transform your study abroad experience into a minor!
  • Our signature course, Global Issues Analysis (INTL 410W), offers a culminating experience where students tackle global challenges from diverse disciplinary angles. 
  • Students are strongly encouraged to meet with the minor advisor before completing courses in the program. 
Embrace the world, enrich your education, and prepare for a globalized future with our adaptable Minor in International Studies.

Requirements for the Minor

A minimum grade of C- must be earned for all courses in the minor.

Global Perspectives: Core Curriculum for an International Studies Minor

The core includes a culminating course, where students engage in the interdisciplinary analysis of global issues, and one unit of international studies experiential learning.

Core Courses (5 units)

Core Courses (5 units)

Take the following culminating course after you have completed most of your electives for the minor:

  • INTL 410W Global Issues Analysis (4)

Take 1 unit of international studies experiential learning from the following list:

NOTE: a 3-unit short-format study abroad course taken as an elective course below can fulfill this requirement

  • INTL 387  (or one of the other cross-listed courses) (1 unit)

  • INTL 320 Career Workshop (1 unit)

  • SPAN/HIST/ES 396 International Latino Film Festival (1 unit)

  • SPAN 370 Cultural Heritage Retreat (1 unit)

  • RS 394 Experiential Workshops (1 unit) (specific topic must be appropriate to INTL - consult advisor)

  • PSCI 377: Model United Nations (1 unit) 

  • FREN 390 French and Francophone Film Seminar (1 unit)

International Studies Electives & Tracks: Choose from five different pathways and experiences!

Complete 13-14 units of internationally-focused coursework and study abroad experiences. The following are suggested tracks:

General International Studies Track (14 units)

General International Studies Track (14 units)

Ideal for students seeking a comprehensive understanding of global affairs.

  • INTL 210 Intro to International Studies (4)

  • INTL 220 Intro to Cultural Studies (3)

  • PSCI 240 Intro to International Relations (4)

  • Econ 305 International Econ or 306W Econ of the Developing World (3)

Development Studies Track (13-14 units)

Development Studies Track (13-14 units)

Perfect for those aiming to join the Peace Corps or work in developing regions.

  • PSCI 303W Global Inequalities(3)

  • Econ 306W Econ of the Developing World (3)

  • At least 2 courses from at least two different disciplines (min 7 units):

    • Anth 316 Anth & dev (4)

    • Anth 317 Gender & dev (4)

    • Geog 300 Global Awareness (3)

    • Geog 301 int’l env issues & globalization (3)

    • Hist 328 Women and Gender in Latin America (4)

    • Engr 305 appropriate tech (3)

    • Engr 308 tech & env (3)

    • PSCI 364 tech & dev (4)

    • PSCI 343 Global Governance (4)

    • PSCI 330 Political Regimes and Political Change (4)

    • 3-unit short-format study abroad course (3)

Cultural Studies Track (13-14 units)

Cultural Studies Track (13-14 units)

Excellent for students looking to complement their major with language and cultural studies.

  • One semester of Language (Levels 1-5 or a heritage class) (min of 3 units)

  • Choose ONE course from the following:

    • INTL 220 Intro to Cultural Studies (3)

    • Anth 104 Cultural Anthropology (3)

    • INTL 100 or 100S Thinking Critically about Globalization (3)

  • At least 2 courses from at least two different disciplines (min 7 units):

    • ANTH 302 Anthropology and Religion (3)

    • ANTH 307 World Heritage and Archaeology (3)

    • Anth 340 Language and culture (4)

    • Anth 390 World Regions Cultural Seminar (4)

    • FREN 300 African Storytelling (3)

    • FREN 340 Topics in Francophone Culture (2-4)

    • FREN/SPAN 306 Sex, Class, and Culture

    • SPAN 301 Topics in Literature and Cultural Studies (3)

    • SPAN 403 Topics in Hispanic Civilization (3)

    • SPAN 345 Hispanic Cinema (3)

    • HIST 200 World Cultures and History (prehistory to 1500) (3)

    • HIST 201 World Cultures and History (1500 to present) (3)

    • HIST 306 Gods and Knights in Ancient Near East (4)

    • HIST 322 Age of Knights and Monks (4)

    • HIST 323 Gender and Sexuality in East Asian History (4)

    • HIST 342 Musketeers, Witches, and Kings (4)

    • HIST 343 French Revolution and Napoleon (4)

    • HIST 349 Renaissance and Reformation (4)

    • HIST 377 Vietnam Wars (4)

    • PSCI 340 Ethnicity and Nationalism (4)

    • Art 302: Topics in Global Art History

    • Art 303: Global Contemporary Art. 

    • Danc 303 Dance in World Cultures (3) (Area C GE)

    • Mus 302 Music in World Culture (3) (Area C GE)

    • ES 306 World Regions Cultural Studies (3)

    • 3-unit short-format study abroad program

Global Environment Track (12-14 units)

Global Environment Track (12-14 units)

Suited for students passionate about addressing global environmental challenges.

  • INTL 210 Introduction to International Studies (4) or INTL 100 or 100S Thinking Critically about Globalization (3)

  • PSCI 306 Env Politics (3)

  • Econ 423 Env & Nat Res Econ (3)

  • One course from the following for a total of 13-14 units:

    • Anth 334 Anthropology, ecology, and conservation (4)

    • Anth 314 Wicked Problems of the Anthropocene (4)

    • HIST 302 Environmental History of China (4)

    • HIST 309 Environmental History of Latin America (3)

    • PSCI 305W: Food Politics (3)

    • PSCI 365 Political Ecology (4)

    • Geog 301 Int’l Env issues and globalization (3) (can be taken as a study abroad in Costa Rica)

    • Soc 370 Env Inequality and globalization (4)

International Experience Track (13-14 units)

International Experience Track (13-14 units)

Designed for students eager to spend a semester or year studying abroad.

  • 12 units of Study abroad (12 units)

  • One additional international experiential course from the list above (1 unit)

NOTE: INTL 410W must be taken after you return from your study abroad program.

Program Learning Outcomes

  • Students gain the ability to gather information and use interdisciplinary analysis skills to critically evaluate regional and global issues;

  • Students gain proficiency in formal written and oral communication